The Italian football world mourns the loss of Totò Schillaci, the icon of the 1990 World Cup, at age 59. He had been hospitalized for about a week and things took a turn for the worst in the last 24 hours. He was fighting colon cancer, La Gazzetta dello Sport informs.
The legendary footballer was born in Palermo from a humble family. He had two wives, Rita and Barbara, and three kids, Jessica, Mattia, and Nicole. He got his at Messina and broke out with Zdenek Zeman on the bench in Serie B, which led to his move to Juventus. The marksman contributed to winning the Coppa Italia and the UEFA Cup with the Bianconeri and was called up for the international competition on home turf.
Schillaci was supposed to back up Andrea Carnevale in the World Cup. Though, he quickly seized his opportunity off the bench. He and Roberto Baggio carried the Azzurri to the semifinal. The striker hit the net versus Austria, Czechoslovakia, Uruguay, Ireland, and Argentina. Italy were eliminated on PKs versus Diego Armando Maradona’s side. He was the top scorer of the tournament and the runner-up for the Balloon d’Or behind Lothar Matthaus that year.
The prosecution of his career didn’t live up to expectations. He left Juventus to join Inter after a year but didn’t produce a lot. He opted for an unconventional choice and was the first Italian to transfer to Japan in 1994, more precisely at Jubilo Iwata. Schillaci played there until his retirement in 1997. He became a TV personality and opened a football academy for underprivileged kids and migrants after he hung his cleats.
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